A Family Reunited
by HansonFanGermany
Summary: Five years ago, Nick Rossi made a mistake that ended every communication with his brother David. What will it take for them to finally reconcile? Can Dave's little niece Olivia help heal the wounds between the two brothers and reunite the family? OCs, Rossi/Hotch slash in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__ This is a rewrite and continuation of one of my first Criminal Minds fanfics "Christmas At Home". My muse had completely left me with regards to this story, but finally, a while ago, inspiration struck with a new idea to continue. I decided to delete the original story, because I needed to expand the chapters that were already there in order to move forward. _

_Thank you very much to everyone who voted on my poll, either here or on FB, on which pairing to include. Counting all votes, Hotch/Rossi won with 10 votes to 6. That means, later on this story __**will **__**contain SLASH**__. Consider yourselves warned. ;)_

_Another warning: This story __**will be very OC-heavy**__, focusing on David Rossi's family (parents, siblings, nieces, nephew). If OCs are not your thing, then this story won't be either. _

**_Many, many thanks to all my readers and reviewers! You're all greatly appreciated, I can't say that often enough!_**

_Now, without further ado, on with the story._

_**Disclaimer:**__ CM and its characters belong to CBS, ABC, ... Anyone but me…_

* * *

**A Family Reunited**

Chapter 1

* * *

"What are your plans for the Holidays?" Aaron Hotchner asked his best friend and colleague David Rossi as they made their way through the bullpen on Wednesday morning, the day before Christmas Eve.

"Don't know yet, I guess I'll be heading out to Little Creek and spend a few quiet days working on my new book," Dave shrugged.

"You're not going home and enjoy Mama Rossi's cooking for a few days?"

Aaron knew he shouldn't be surprised, yet, it always amazed him how long the older man could hold a grudge.

"Aaron, you know I haven't been home for holidays since-"

"I know, Dave," Aaron interrupted him. "But it's been what, four years now?"

"Five," Dave growled.

"Four, five. Don't you think it's finally time to forgive your brother and move on?"

"That's not going to happen. Now if you excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

Hotch shook his head, watching Rossi storm off without another word.

The moment Dave slammed his office door shut his cell phone began to ring. Glancing on the display, he let out an annoyed groan upon seeing the caller ID.

He flipped the phone open, not bothering to greet the person on the other end of the line.

"Maria, save your breath, I'm not coming for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night."

A deep sigh came from the woman he'd called Maria.

"Davey, please. You know how much it would mean to Mama and Pop."

His 2 ½ year younger sister tried her best to make him a guilty conscience and get him to change his mind.

"Will Nick be there, too?"

"You know he will."

"Then I won't."

To anyone else, the final tone in Dave's voice would end any discussion at that point. Maria, however, knew how far she could go with her big brother and completely ignored it, giving it another try.

"Davey, please. This can't go on forever. You know how much it breaks Mama's and Papa's hearts that you and Nick aren't speaking with each other."

"And whose fault is that?" Dave asked rhetorically.

"At this point, I would say, yours," Maria shot back, "Considering you are the one who's been ignoring all of Nick's attempts to talk things out."

"Great, he screws up and I get the blame," Dave muttered sarcastically.

Instead of arguing with him about it, Maria tried another angle.

"Would you at least consider coming for brunch on Christmas Day?"

"Maria-"

"Please, Davey! It's Pop's 80th birthday this year. Wouldn't it be nice if the whole family was there to celebrate it with him?"

"Maria, once and for all, if Nick is coming, then I AM NOT!"

"Damn, David! What it wrong with you?"

A few harsh Italian curses followed and moments later the call was disconnected.

"Damn it!" With a loud thud Dave threw his cell phone onto his desk and sank into his chair.

He would never admit it out loud, but his sister's tries to make him feel guilty were very successful.

He tried concentrating on the load of paperwork in front of him, but his thoughts drifted off every few seconds.

Logically, he knew Maria was right. Their younger brother Nicholas had made numerous attempts at getting Dave to talk. But how was Dave to do that if he couldn't even look him in the eyes?

Grabbing his coffee mug that was still half-filled from the day before, Dave threw it against the opposite wall, bringing one of his framed commendations down with it.

Then his look fell through the open blinds of the window down into the bullpen and into the alarmed faces of his co-workers. With a dismissive gesture he sank back into his chair and stared ahead.

It didn't take long and a knock came from his door. Without waiting to be called in, Hotch entered.

"Everything all right?"

Dave snorted, not bothering to offer him a proper reply.

Aaron eyes fell on the shattered coffee mug and picture frame.

"You'll be cleaning this up," he said. His tone didn't leave much room for debate.

Dave snorted again.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Aaron sat down in one of Dave's visitor chairs.

"Nope."

"Well, I can't allow my staff to destroy Bureau property." He looked at Dave intensely, but all he got was an angry glare.

"It was my own cup and my own frame," Dave shrugged and clenched his teeth.

"But the wall's not yours," Aaron returned.

"Whatever." A pubescent teenage girl couldn't have bit that out better.

Aaron couldn't stop the amused chuckle if he wanted to.

He knew Dave well enough to be sure he'd start talking about what was bothering him momentarily, and he wouldn't go away until he had all the answers. Dave knew that, too. He pouted for another moment and then began.

"Maria just called."

Aaron nodded. That was pretty much all the information he needed.

He had met David's sister, as well as their parents and brother a couple of times over the years he'd known him, the last time on a New Year's party at Dave's five years ago. That had been the very day Dave had stopped talking with Nick.

Having witnessed everything that had transpired that night, he couldn't say he blamed Dave for his reaction. Still, it was now almost five years later.

Nick had a daughter now, Olivia, who'd just turned four, whom Dave had never even met. Hotch couldn't shake the feeling that it would be good for him and everyone if he did.

"My dad will be 80 in two days. They want me to come over for brunch."

"You know, maybe you should finally leave the past behind."

"Aaron, you know what happened. You were there. I can't. I'll visit them in a few days, as usual."

Dave sounded as if he had to convince himself that he was okay with that. Unfortunately, he failed miserably.

Deep down, he knew that it was time. He missed the Rossi family gatherings more than anything and he wished he could just bite the bullet and make his peace with Nick.

"Dave, I'm sorry to say this, but you're the most stubborn person I've ever met. And I don't mean that as a compliment right now."

He stood up and went for the door. Before closing it behind himself, he stuck his head back in.

"I'm just saying, Dave. It might be too late one day."

With a nod at the mess, he added,

"Now please clean that up and in the future refrain from violent tantrums at the office. And if you need someone to talk, you know where to find me."

* * *

.~.~.~.~.~.

A/N²: Please don't forget to nominate your favorite stories!

_**NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS!  
**__Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for our third annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on __! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on __, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. __All rules and information are on the forum._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: A little reminder for those who are interested: **__**The first five chapters of**__** my JJ/Rossi/Garcia (+ guest in later chapters) smut story "Happy Birthday, Agent Rossi" have been posted over on **_**Archive of Our Own**_** and **_**The Writer's Coffee Shop**_** (links are on my profile page). It's not too explicit yet, though we're slowly getting there ;). **_

_**Now on with this story! Thanks a lot for all the wonderful reviews so far! **_

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**A Family Reunited**

Chapter 2

* * *

Leaning back in his desk chair after Hotch had left, Rossi let out a deep sigh.

His mind was a chaotic mess filled with anger and resentment toward his brother and regret for the years they'd already lost. He knew he had to go out for a while, clear his head and sort out his thoughts, if he wanted to be able to get at least some of the work done which was still piling up on his desk.

Grabbing his coat, he walked out of his office and down through the bullpen, followed by the curious and concerned gazes of his colleagues. Ignoring each and every one of them, he only stopped for a second to tell Hotch, who was on his way back to his office with a cup of fresh coffee, where he was going.

"I'm going for a walk."

Hotch nodded and gave his shoulder a light, friendly squeeze.

Outside in the cold winter air, Dave felt better immediately. He was able to think more easily with every step he took.

His initial desire was to walk for a while just to keep moving, but on second thought, he wondered if it wouldn't be better to talk to someone. Hotch had offered to lend him an ear, but Dave knew that Aaron, much like the rest of the team, had still a load of paperwork to complete before the Holidays. Paperwork that he didn't want him to take home. Aaron and Jack deserved a few quiet days together without any thoughts of the office, and if Dave disturbed him now, it was likely the younger man couldn't finish everything today.

So he thought of a second option.

He made his way back to the parking garage and got into his car.

Not too much later he arrived at his old friend's Father Jimmy Davison's church.

Inside, he was greeted with a comforting silence. Only two people were sitting quietly in the pews. Jimmy was nowhere to be seen at the moment, but that didn't surprise Dave. He was usually busy in the mornings, visiting elderly people of his congregation in their homes or at the hospital.

The peace and quiet of the church alone made him feel better.

Dave crossed himself with the holy water upon entering and went down to the left side of the altar to light a candle. Pausing for a moment for a quick prayer, he then walked back a few steps and sat down in one of the front pews, letting the atmosphere of the sacred building sink in.

He closed his eyes, pictures from his childhood filling his mind. Giving into the memories for a while, he thought back at the times where he'd attended the Mass every Sunday morning with his parents, Maria and Nick. The adults often had to sit between their children to keep them from kidding around and disturbing the service.

With a gentle smile on his lips he remembered how he and Nick used to tease each other during the sermon. Though six years apart in age, the two brothers had been tight from the day Nick had been born.

At Maria's birth, Dave had been only 2 ½ and more jealous about her than anything else, having to share the parents' attention from then on. A good three years later at almost six, he had been more understanding and excited. There had been nothing he was more proud of than his little brother.

Together they had been a force to be reckoned with. Dave was the one who taught Nick how to ride a bike, who built colorful paper kites with him and showed him how to fly them. They spent most of their time concocting new pranks to play on their sister, their parents and the girls in the neighborhood.

Throughout all the time, Dave had been very protective of Nick. Of Maria, too, of course. Even as a teenager he would make sure to include Nick in his activities whenever possible.

When Dave left for the Marines at eighteen, Nick was inconsolable. Dave made sure to write him at least once a week, and throughout their adult years they had remained best friends.

Until that fateful day almost five years ago.

Before then Dave never would have thought it possible that he wouldn't be there for Nick's wedding, or for the birth of his first child.

His face immediately hardened as his trip down memory lane reached that time. He hadn't spoken with Nick ever since. He had refused to answer his calls or to acknowledge his tries to apologize. He had even called the cops on him for trespassing, when Nick had shown up at his house to try and talk to him. Their father had to bail him out of jail.

When not even their parents' and Maria's desperate attempts at mediating had worked, everyone had thought it would be better to back off for a while, to let Dave come to terms with everything on his own.

Nobody would have thought that Dave's silence would take that long, but whenever anyone would bring up Nick, Dave would either avoid the topic or leave if they became too insistent.

The cheerful greeting of Father Jimmy pulled him from his thoughts.

"Davey! What brings you here? I hope it's not another exorcist."

He sat down next to Dave and gave him a friendly hug.

"No, not this time."

Jimmy eyed him from the side and waited.

"I came here to think, you know, clear my mind."

Dave gave him a short smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"It's been a while since you've done that in a church, my friend." Jimmy sounded surprised.

"Yeah, well, maybe I also came for a little chat."

"Sure. How 'bout we go over to Rosie's for some coffee?" The priest suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

The two men got up and made their way out, Jimmy giving the other visitors of the church a friendly nod as they passed them.

Once they were seated in Rosie's Diner across the street and had their coffee, Jimmy started again.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Dave hesitated for a second, not sure where to begin.

"Maria called me this morning. Actually, she and Mama have been calling me quite a few times over the past few weeks. They want me to come to their Christmas Eve dinner, or at the very least to Pop's birthday on Christmas Day."

"I see. It's still this thing between you and Nick, isn't it?"

Dave nodded.

"I really don't know what to do. I'm still so angry and at the same time, I ask myself why it is so hard for me to forgive him. It's not like Kate and I… I don't know."

"Forgiving can be very liberating."

"I know. It's just… I, God, I don't know."

"Davey, think of it this way. What would you have to lose if you just swallowed you pride and hold your hand out to him? If he rejects you, nothing will change. If he doesn't, you have a heck of a lot to gain."

Dave nodded again, lowering his head so Jimmy couldn't see the tears welling in his eyes.

"God, I miss him so much," he whispered barely audible.

"Then you know what to do, don't you think?"

* * *

_**A/N²: Don't forget to cast your votes for the Profiler's Choice Fanfic Awards! Details and nomination ballot are on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum**_.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Family Reunited**

Chapter 3

* * *

Dave spent the rest of his day contemplating about Jimmy's and Hotch's words, and by the end of the day had come to the conclusion to follow their advice.

Not having gotten much work done, he decided to stay late and spend another half day of Christmas Eve at the office to catch up on everything.

When he left work shortly after noon the next day, he felt content with what he'd accomplished.

Almost everyone was already on their Christmas vacation. Hotch and Jack were the only ones who celebrated at home, so Dave had not brought their presents with him to the office, but decided to drop them off on his way home.

Jack had been extremely excited when he'd arrived and tried his best to convince him to stay and celebrate with them, but Aaron held him back when Dave told them he'd be going to visit his parents and spend the Christmas days at their place.

"You're doing the right thing," he told Dave as he hugged him goodbye.

"I hope so."

Dave smiled and Aaron could see he was nervous about what to expect later.

Back at home, Dave spent the rest of the afternoon wrapping the presents for his parents, his sister and her children and after that turned on the TV to relax for a while.

Within half an hour he'd fallen asleep on the couch.

When he woke up again, it was pitch black outside. A harsh curse followed the quick glance on his watch after he'd turned on the lights. It was ten thirty, definitely too late to show up at his parents' house.

Muttering a string of Italian curses, he made his way to the kitchen, followed by his dog, Mudgie.

"Why didn't you wake me, boy?" He looked down on him.

Mudgie let out an annoyed whine and turned his head away.

"I know, I know. Sorry, boy, it wasn't your fault." He patted Mudgie's head.

"You hungry?"

The dog gave a loud bark for an answer, so Dave fixed them both a small dinner. When they were finished eating, Dave took the dog for a short, late walk to do his business. Then they both settled down in front of the fire place, Dave with a glass of Scotch and Mudgie with his head in Dave's lap, enjoying the back rub he was receiving.

"Tomorrow you'll have to wake me early, okay, boy?"

Mudgie barely acknowledged his words.

"We're going to visit Mama and Pop."

That brought out a first reaction of Mudgie, perking up his ears.

"Oh, and Maria, Carrie and Danny will be there, too."

Mudgie practically jumped on all fours, barking loudly and wagging his tail in excitement. Dave's niece and nephew were always great fun to play with.

~.~.~.~.~

The next morning, Dave and Mudgie arrived at his parents' house at a quarter to eleven.

"All right, that's it," Dave said to himself.

He got out of the car, grabbed all his bags with the gifts and slowly walked up the driveway to their house, Mudgie running ahead, announcing their arrival with loud, excited barks.

Before he had even reached the steps of the porch, the front door opened, and a small, dark-haired girl appeared.

Dave stopped in his tracks and gasped silently. He didn't have to think twice as to who this cute little girl was. Four-year old Olivia was nothing if not a Rossi. The same big brown eyes as her father, his mother's nose and a look of determination that could rival Maria, and her own mother, Kate.

When Dave had heard of their pregnancy, only two months after that fateful New Year's Eve, his whole world had crumbled. Not only had his brother cost him his wife, they were also having the family he had always wanted, and that he had so tragically lost with Carolyn many, many years before.

His mother had informed him of the birth of her third grandchild nine months later. She tried to show him photographs of her, tried to convince him to change his mind about never talking to Nick again, if only for the little baby girl, but all Dave could feel was resentment.

Now, finally standing in front of her, he couldn't help but feel his hear melt.

"Who are you?" she wanted to know curiously.

Before Dave could introduce himself, he heard a female voice calling from inside.

"Olivia! What did I tell you about opening the door without an adult by your side?"

Moments later, Olivia's mother Kate appeared by her side.

"But Mommy, look! It's a doggy!" Olivia exclaimed in excitement.

She got down on her knees to great Mudgie, who returned the welcome with a wet lick across her face that earned him an amused giggle.

It was only now that Kate looked up and recognized Dave.

"David!" She sounded surprised.

"Kate." Dave nodded shortly, not sure what else to say.

She looked good, just like he remembered. Her dark brown hair was a bit shorter, only shoulder length, but other than that she hadn't changed much. Her blue eyes were still shining as brightly as ever, and her slightly rounded face was still looking younger than the thirty-nine years her birth certificate claimed her to be. She'd been the tallest of his three ex-wives at 5'8'', not that he had ever minded.

Then his eyes fell on her stomach. Not even the knitted Christmas sweater could hide the slightly rounded belly.

Pregnant again. Great.

Swallowing visibly, he took a few steps forward.

"Well, are you going to let me in?" He asked coolly.

"Oh, of course," Kate replied and stepped aside so he could enter the house.

"Damn it, close the door!" Came his father's voice from the family room. "It's freezing!"

Kate waited until Olivia and Mudgie were inside as well and shut the door.

"Who are you?" Olivia asked again, this time more forceful.

Dave set down all of his bags and knelt down to her. No matter how much he dreaded her parents, this little girl didn't deserve to be pulled into it.

"I'm your Uncle Dave."

His voice was gentle and the smile on his face genuine.

"I'm Olivia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Olivia."

He extended his hand and when she reached out and took it, he gently pulled it up to his lips and breathed a soft kiss on it. That made her giggle again.

"And that's Mudgie. You've already said hello to each other."

Mudgie didn't care about that, though, greeting her again with another few licks, resulting in even more giggles.

"Can I pway with him?" Olivia asked.

"Sure."

"But not now," Kate intervened. "Nonna's waiting with the brunch. Now, go wash your hands again so we can eat."

"Okay."

Olivia dashed away and Dave and Kate went over to the family room where everyone else, save his mother and brother, were waiting.

When Dave's big figure appeared in the door frame, his sister immediately cried out his name. Her kids and his father followed, exclaiming his name as she came running toward him, drawing him in a tight hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here!"

Attracted by hearing her eldest son's name, Sofia Rossi came out of the kitchen, Nick right behind her.

"Did anybody say Davey – Oh!"

As fast as her 78-year-old feet would allow, she rushed over to Dave and pulled him away from her daughter and in her embrace.

"Davey!" She reached up and cupped his cheeks, placing a few happy kisses on his face. "You came!"

Tears filled her eyes as she pulled him back to her.

Dave instantly felt a warmth spread inside as he returned her tight hug. He was home. If he'd had any doubts left about coming here today, one look in his Mama's eyes and he knew he was doing the right thing. Only now did he fully realize how much he'd missed this, celebrating holidays and birthdays with his family.

After some long moments, Sofia very reluctantly released him, not before smooching two more kisses on his cheeks.

Next in line was Dave's father Joe.

They hugged each other just as tightly.

"Happy Birthday. And Merry Christmas," Dave said softly against his ear and added in a whisper for no one else to hear, "I love you, Pop."

Joe couldn't have been happier, that much was obvious.

"I love you, too, son. Thank you for coming. You have no idea how much this means to me and to all of us."

After greeting his nephew and niece, too – the two teenagers were already occupied with Mudgie – Dave's look fell on his brother Nick, for the first time in almost five years.

At six feet, he was a little bit taller than Dave, but there was no denying that these two were brothers. Nick looked just like Dave, only six years younger and without the beard.

He had been watching the exchange from a small distance. He was nervous, afraid even, of how his brother would react to him.

When Dave hadn't shown up for dinner the previous night, he'd been certain he wouldn't come today either. It had made him angry, because he knew how much it hurt their parents that their eldest son had always been missing from family gatherings. He had almost been ready to show up on Dave's doorstep again to personally drag him over here, even if he'd ran the risk to get arrested again.

Then he remembered that he was as much to blame for the situation as Dave. No, he was the only one. He hadn't been able to stop falling in love with Kate, even if he'd wanted to. But their timing had been horrible.

And not for the first time, he cursed himself for giving up trying to apologize to Dave, for accepting the fact that his big brother wouldn't speak with him anymore. He should never have let it come that far, he should never have given up trying , no matter how many times Dave would have him sent to jail for it.

And now Dave was here and Nick knew the time had come to make things right. It terrified him, because all he wished for was Dave giving him a second chance at being a brother and a friend.

Everybody took one step back as Dave and Nick stared at each other for several painfully long seconds, the air suddenly filled with tension around them.

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke first.

"Dave."

"Nick," Dave replied coolly.

Then Nick stepped forward and extended his arm for a handshake.

Dave waited several more seconds, before taking a step forward himself and accepting Nick's hand. A collective breath of relief could be heard around them.

"Merry Christmas, Nick," Dave said, his tone friendlier.

Nick nodded, a single tear running down his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Dave."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Please get your nominations in for the Profiler's Choice Fanfic Awards! Details, rules and nomination ballot can be found on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. **

* * *

**A Family Reunited**

Chapter 4

* * *

At the dinner table, Dave of course was the center of the attention.

When he had entered the room, he was surprised the table had already been set for him as well, even though they couldn't have known whether he would come or not. He realized with much regret that they had probably always set the table for him, in hopes that he would join them.

And he had disappointed them over and over again.

His mother, recognizing the look on his face, took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It's all right, Davey. You're here now, that's all that matters."

"I'm so sorry, Mama," he whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

For the first time, he fully grasped how much he had hurt his family, and especially his parents, with his behavior. Justified or not, they didn't deserve this. He knew he should have found a way to work things out with Nick without affecting the whole family.

He had always thought it was enough to make up for his lack in attendance on the actual holiday or birthday by stopping by a couple of days later to bring the presents and spend time with them. If he was honest with himself, though, he had always known deep down that it wasn't enough. After all, it had never been a secret how much celebrating with their whole family, all of them together, meant to his parents.

He would have a lot of making up to do.

They all spend the next few hours eating up the feast Mama Rossi had cooked up with the help of her daughter and her grandson.

As she had done with all of her children, Sofia had started teaching her grandchildren the fine art of Italian cooking from very early on. At 13, Daniel was already showing a lot of promise to one day become the master chef of the Rossi family, and he was having a lot of fun in the kitchen. Especially since it meant that his sister would have to do the cleaning up after the meals.

Dave was glad that he didn't have to speak much with Nick, because the kids had taken over the talking, loudly and proudly relaying all their latest stories and achievements to their Uncle Dave. Olivia asked him some very serious and important questions ("How old are you?" – "55"- "Wow, is that old like Nonna?") and was very adamant about receiving satisfying answers.

Sofia and Joe mostly watched their children and grandchildren interact with a few stolen tears of joy. They almost couldn't remember the last time they had been this happy and sent up a small, silent prayer to their Lord for finally making their eldest come to his senses.

They knew it would take more than just a handshake for David and Nicholas to work through everything that was between them, but having them in the same room, on the same table even, again, was a start and gave them hope for the future. And the few words the two brothers had exchanged so far were short, but not as cold or distant as one would have expected them to be after such a long time.

When they were all finally done eating, Dave offered to help with the dishes. Maria briefly had the idea that her brothers could do the dishes together and take the opportunity to have a long, resolving talk, but Sofia held her back.

She sensed that David was not ready for that yet.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVELY REVIEWS SO FAR! **

* * *

**A Family Reunited**

Chapter 5

* * *

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, everybody assembled in the family room.

"What's in all those bags you brought with you, Uncle Dave?" Danny asked with a wink, knowing exactly what they contained.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Dave stood up and brought them in.

Before he could remember that he only had presents for his parents, sister and her kids, he'd already started to hand them out. When he did remember he felt his blood run cold. Nick and Kate definitely didn't expect anything and wouldn't hold it against him, but he'd completely forgotten about their four-year-old girl.

"You got us iPhones?" Carrie squealed when she and Danny had torn the gift wrap off their packages. "Uncle Dave, you're the best!"

She got up and threw her arms around him.

Dave had bought a lime green one for Carrie and a blue one for Danny, glad that he remembered their favorite colors and happy that his attempts at being the best and coolest uncle had succeeded.

His joy didn't last long when his eyes fell onto Olivia.

He didn't think he'd ever felt worse than when he saw the disappointment in her big brown eyes.

Carry and Danny were too busy with their new toy, but five pairs of very pissed off adult eyes were staring at him.

Olivia curled up in her dad's lap and buried her face in his neck. Dave couldn't bring himself to look at them. He'd never been that embarrassed before.

"You really are the biggest asshole sometimes," Maria quietly hissed to her brother. "Couldn't you have waited for a moment alone with Danny and Carrie to give them their presents?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think," he whispered back.

"No, you absolutely didn't."

Dave knew he had to do something, if he didn't want to ruin the rest of the afternoon. He stood up from the recliner he was sitting in and went over to Olivia and Nick, taking a seat next to them on the couch.

Meeting Nick's eyes, he waited for his permission to carefully start his approach.

"Olivia, principessa."

Stroking gently up and down her back, he waited for a reaction, but only heard her sniff into her dad's neck.

"Sweetheart, look at me for a second."

She slowly sat up and looked at her father first. When he told her it was okay, she turned to face her uncle.

Once Dave was sure he had her full attention, he began to speak.

"Principessa, I'm so sorry I forgot your presents. I promise you, you will get them first thing tomorrow."

Olivia nodded shyly, then thought for a second.

"But, but, I thought Santa bwings all the pwesents."

Everybody froze. The next words were incredibly important if they didn't want to destroy the girl's believe in Santa Claus that early in her life.

Nick started to intervene, but Dave gestured him to stay quiet.

"He does, Principessa. But did you know that he also has a lot of help with all the presents?"

Olivia nodded eagerly.

"Uh huh, Mrs. Claus and the elves help him lots and lots."

"That's right. And sometimes, he also asks some other people to help. He needs all the help he can get with getting the presents to all the very special children who have been especially good. Like you."

Olivia was smiling again.

"Anyway, he asked me yesterday to help him with your presents. He couldn't carry them all, you know. But I made a big mistake. I forgot the bag with your presents at home. But I promise you, I will deliver them super fast."

"Pinky pwomise?" Olivia held up her finger.

"Pinky promise," Dave confirmed and hooked his finger with hers.

"You know, Santa told me you've been nothing but nice this year."

He grinned widely at her as she nodded eagerly again.

Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed his brother and sister-in-law look at each other, clearly not agreeing with that statement. Oh, they loved their daughter dearly and wouldn't change her for the world, but as every girl her age, being naughty was part of her daily repertoire.

Nick noticed the gleam in Dave's eyes, and knew at once that his older brother had something in his mind that he and Kate probably wouldn't like very much.

"So, am I right that Santa hasn't brought you all of the gifts yet that you put on your list?"

Olivia nodded again.

"I gots a baby doll, a new lego set, lots of new wax cwayons and I even gots a bike! With sparkles on it!" She exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the Christmas tree, where all of the gifts were still displayed.

The whole family, except for Dave, had spent the night at Sofia's and Joe's house and therefore Santa had brought all their presents there.

"Oh yeah, that was a lot to carry already for Santa. But you know what?"

"What?"

Dave leaned over to whisper in her ear, loud enough for her parents to hear him as well.

"All the other things from that list are still in those bags at my house."

"Weally?"

"Uh huh," Dave confirmed. "And tomorrow they will be all yours."

"Yay!" Olivia cried out in delight and jumped into Dave's lap, throwing her little arms around his neck.

Dave leaned back, looking extremely pleased with himself as he took in Nick's and Kate's not so happy expressions. That list with Olivia's Christmas wishes had been more than twice as long as what she'd received from them and Sofia and Joe, and they actually firmly believed in not spoiling their daughter too much.

After that, Mudgie demanded Olivia's attention again, and she happily obliged, rolling across the floor with them.

"Please email me that list with the rest of her wishes ASAP," Dave whispered to Nick.

"There's no way, you're getting her everything from that list," Kate threw in. "Santa has already spoiled her enough."

"Come on," Dave grinned. "She'll be expecting it. You don't want to see her disappointed again."

"Which was not our fault now, was it?" Nick hissed.

"Just send me that list," Dave insisted.

He decided then and there that it would be his job from now on to spoil this little girl rotten, just like he did with Carrie and Dan. They would just have to deal with it.

"Well, then, have fun going shopping tomorrow," Nick smirked, imagining his brother at the crowded Mall on the day after Christmas.


End file.
